Abbeville and Ninety-Six

McGowan-Barksdale-Bundy House

Saturday we decided to tour around South Carolina.  We started in Abbeville, where we ate at a Mexican restaurant in the Town Square.  Abbeville contains many historical buildings, so we walked around Abbeville to see them; most of the stores were closed for the holiday.  After visiting Abbeville, we drove to Ninety-Six and toured the Ninety-Six National Historic Site which contains the best example of a star fort.  The one-mile paved walking tour was interesting.  The site has other one or two mile hikes along some of the original roads, but they were closed due to all of the rain we have had lately.  We'll just have to revisit.

Wordless Wednesday--Finished!

Recently finished tree skirt!

Harlem Christmas Parade

Santa at the Harlem Christmas Parade

Saturday was the Harlem Christmas Parade.  The parade was small but had enough participants to make it worth the time to see.  We saw fire trucks, church floats, vintage cars, the Harlem High School marching band, and of course, Santa ended the parade.  The crowd was small, we had front row viewing right in front of our favorite Harlem restaurant, Armando's. In addition to the parade, vendor's were selling their wares for the perfect Christmas present.  If Harlem has a parade next year, be sure to attend.

Restaurant Review--Twisted Burrito

Twisted Burrito

We ate at the Twisted Burrito yesterday.  The burritos have unique but good fillings--not the usual items you find at the other burrito joints.  Mine was stuffed with pork and a hot sauce.  We tried the Zeus, the Bob Marley and the Ric.  All were great.  The burritos come with a side of uniquely seasoned fries.  The price ranged from $8 to $10, which is a little pricey for a burrito, but two of us could not finish ours.  I'd eat here again.

Twisted Burrito, 4446 Washington Rd, Evans, GA 30809

Christmas in the Backcountry

Meeting House

We spent a gorgeous Saturday morning at the Living History Park in North Augusta.  They were celebrating Christmas in the Backcountry.  Many of the buildings were open, we watched the blacksmith and met Father Christmas.  There was no wait to see Santa and we were able to take our own photos for the photo album.

Restaurant Review--Sunshine Bakery

Sunshine Bakery Lentil Soup

We recently discovered Sunshine Bakery in downtown Augusta, Georgia, 1209 Broad Street.  They have the best lentil soup.  They also have very good bread and sandwiches to go with the soup.  The lentil is the soup of the day on Saturday.  They are open mostly for lunch.  If you are downtown and hungry, you can't go wrong.  Make sure that you get a dessert on the way out.

Wordless Wednesday--Blue Ridge Parkway

North Carolina, October 2015

Book Review--Graham's Resolution

This week I've been reading books I downloaded for free on my Kindle.  This book is another post-apocalyptic novel.  Almost everyone dies from the flu except for a few who are immune and some preppers who manage to hide from the virus.  The main character loses his entire family, but manages to create another by finding and gathering other survivors.  The book tells his story.  It's a nice read if you have some free time.

Gingerbread Houses

Gertrude Herbert Museum of Art as a gingerbread house.

The Augusta Museum of History has several gingerbread houses on display until November 29th.  Each house represents a building in the CSRA.  The bakers did an excellent job on their houses.  If you get a chance and are downtown, drop by to see the houses.

Book Review--The Dresden Files

Book 4

I've recently started reading "The Dresden Files" by Jim Butcher.  The series was recommended by a co-worker. The main character is a wizard, but the story lines follow that of a good detective series, except that the bad guys are faeries, vampires, and other wizards.  If you get a chance, read the first book "Storm Front".  But I warn you, you'll want to keep reading them.

Recovering

Camelia

I'm currently recovering from surgery, doing okay for those who ask. I plan to use the time off from work blog and finish some craft projects.

Wordless Wednesday--Mabry Mill

Mabry Mill, Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia

Blue Ridge Parkway

Blue Ridge Parkway

We just spent a wonderful weekend on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina.  The leaves were changing, they were absolutely beautiful.  We stayed two nights in Blowing Rock, hikes some of the easier and shorter trails, and ate a lot of good food.  I highly recommend a trip to Blowing Rock, but go on the weekdays if you can during leaf season, the hotels are expensive on the weekend.

Wordless Wednesday--Muscadines

Muscadines
 

A Misty Day

Heavys BBQ

We had planned to take an adventure on Saturday and explore the town of Lexington, GA.  On the way, a light rain or heavy mist started to show up on the windshield.  We decided to abandon the adventure, but we did stop and dine at Heavy's BBQ for lunch.  Once we returned home, I cleaned my craft room and craft room attic. 

A quiet weekend...

Tote Bags

Spent a quiet weekend at home making totebags.  I like to take found fabric from yard sales and old clothes and create new things. Tropical storm Erica gave us rain all day Sunday, so it was an excellent day for creating in the craft room.

The Augusta Canal

The Savannah River

The Augusta Canal is a great place to take a walk, ride a bike, or go for a run.  My daughter was at drama, we had finished dinner at Bird Dog Café (try the cattle dogs), so we decided to go for a walk at the headgates.  I took the opportunity to try out the camera on my new phone.  My camera does a better job, but the phone will work in a pinch.  What do you think?

Off to college...

GC&SU Bobcat

We visited my older daughter at her home-away-from home.  She is doing well, except that she doesn't like the dining hall and asked us to bring leftovers.  Why is the dining plan mandatory for freshmen?  It's over-priced and disgusting (I've eaten in the dining hall twice).  Without the expense of the mandatory plan, I could have provided a food budget and she could learn to feed herself; and find healthier options than the dining hall provides.  Anyway, my daughter is happy and seems to be thriving in her new environment.

Mistletoe State Park

Mistletoe State Park

We went on a morning hike at Mistletoe State Park.  Mistletoe is one of my favorite state parks, and not too far away from the house.  We hiked 4-5 miles along several trails.  The weather was almost perfect.

We also mowed the lawn and grilled beer can chicken.

The Augusta Market

The Augusta Market:  15 8th Street, Augusta, GA 30901

I visited the Augusta Market yesterday.  The Market is open every Saturday morning from mid-March until late November.  A variety of vendors sells everything from jewelry, art, and fruits and vegetables.  My family likes to go there for lunch.  This week we bought some empanadas and some Korean dumplings, both were very good.  We also purchased some perfectly ripe peaches.  If you have some free time on Saturday mornings, drop by the market.

I also managed to clean the girls bathroom, shop at Costco and watch the movie "Gravity" on dvd.

Hi!

Hi.

I'm Toni

I'm a happily married working Mom with two daughters and a dog.

 

I like to travel, day trip, quilt, and read.

I write about our life in Augusta, Georgia.